Renewables to create 410,000 extra jobs in EU, says study
Wednesday, 03 June 2009, 14:55 IST
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Brussels: The renewable energy sector is expected to create an additional 410,000 jobs in the European Union (EU) by 2020, according to a European Commission report released Tuesday. That would bring the total number working in the sector to 2.8 million. But these estimates assume that the 27-member bloc will stick to its target of deriving 20 percent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources - such as biomass, wind and solar power - by 2020. According to the commission's study, meeting the target will also create an extra 0.24 percent in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). "This shows that (the) benefits of renewables in terms of security of supply and fighting climate change can go hand in hand with economic benefits," said EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. The renewable energy sector employed 1.4 million people across the EU in 2005, with this figure set to double to 2.8 million jobs by 2020. That should offset the about one million jobs which are expected to be shed in traditional, high-polluting energy generation. Most of the new jobs are expected to be created in the Central and Eastern European nations that have joined the EU since 2004.
Source: IANS
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